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Just got the annual submission from Hamburg legend TXMX. Managed to process them all and upload the majority of them tonight. He snapped pics in Italy, Berlin, and Hamburg. Code sent some our way and a few others from Europe are in this batch. More coming from the TXMX files, as well as some others from the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Until then, hold your hats!

The Handcrafted Paper Stencils of a Kimono Designer Who Turned to Printsby Claire Voon on February 24, 2016 for Hyperallergic

For decades, the late Japanese artist Yoshitoshi Mori worked as an established kimono designer, using a stencil-based technique to dye his textiles. When he shifted his focus entirely to printmaking in 1960 after experimenting with the medium, he continued working with this layered design method. His resulting wealth of kappazuri — works produced with carefully hand-cut paper stencils — drew from the mingei folk art movement of the ’20s and ’30s that cherished handicraft. Looking further back into Japanese visual traditions, they also focus on subjects of pleasure widely depicted in the ukiyo-e of the Edo period, showing sensual courtesans, kabuki actors, and scenes from Japanese myth. Multilayered and composed of intricate shapes, Mori’s prints are best appreciated up close, an opportunity given by a current exhibition at Ronin Gallery that also features a handful of his sketchbook illustrations and paintings.

While stencil-based printmaking may conjure images with rigid forms, Mori’s prints are incredibly dynamic, composed of thick but fluid lines that constantly move the eye. One rendering of Taira no Tomomori, a warrior figure and popular character included in kabuki plays, juxtaposes swirling patterns on the man’s garments with dramatic hair that shoots from his head like a fountain. In another print, the voluptuous curves of a woman taking an afternoon nap seem to make her teeter on her back. Although his works do not necessarily involve movement, with many of them being portraits, his playing of negative and positive space introduces a delightful animation.

Witch-Wife will open at Chandran Gallery (459 Geary St., San Francisco) on Friday, February 19 from 7–9:30 p.m. and will run through April 1. ChandranGallery.com

The show will feature new works in both painting, block-prints, wheatpaste, sculpture, installation, and murals. For Brooklyn-based artist Swoon, this is the first time in a few years we have seen her in a gallery setting with this much new work. From our small preview last week, the installtion and sculptures are some of the duo's most ambitious works to date.

[When I'm not obsessed with stencils, I'm working for the amazing environmental NGO Center for Biological Diversity. CBD mostly protects endangered species, and I was excited last year when a co-worker told me Roger Peet (Justseeds) - an artist in my book Stencil Nation - was organizing murals across the USA for CBD. Eventhough I have co-painted some stencil peices for CBD, I'm out of the loop on this project (Hey, I'm doing other serious work for the org!). Much to my surprise, Icy and Sot have painted the latest mural with Roger and CBD. I'm grateful that the folks at Brooklyn Street Art hung out on the roof with them as they put up this great piece! - Russell]

Street Artists Icy & Sot are thinking about the ocean. More specifically they’re thinking about its largest resident, the blue whale.

Up to 110 feet long and 330,000 pounds, the blue whale literally can go to the deepest part of the ocean, or hang out on the surface.This brand new mural is the brothers’ first stencil to address endangered species and it took a lot of blade wielding in their Brooklyn studio this month to cut the maritime scene before flying to Los Angeles to spray it out. Their work often speaks of social and political ills such as homelessness, war, arms proliferation, immigration. This is their very first that gives voice to those whose habitats are regularly contaminated and polluted by industry and individuals.

“We wanted to use a species that lives in water,” says Sot as they discuss the special project with the Justseeds Cooperative for the Center for Biological Diversity.

Artist’s rights in their street art, whether commissioned or guerrilla, has been in the news with some frequency lately, largely due to suits against American Eagle and Terry Gilliam. The slippery nature of copyright law has left many wondering where to draw the line between taking a photograph with street art in the background and taking a photo that infringes on a copyright. Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. As we have pointed out before, artwork used without permission may not be considered an infringement. Rather, unauthorized use exists on a spectrum with clear infringement on one end and fair use on the other.

Miami’s Wynwood district has become a hotspot for street art. Recently, American Eagle used murals from one of Miami’s most well-known street artists, AholSniffsGlue, in its latest advertising campaign. Thanks to Ahol’s suit against American Eagle, many Miami artists have been wondering what rights they may have in the art that they have created on public walls on public streets. At the same time, many photographers, journalists, and bloggers have been wondering if they are exposing themselves to liability when they photograph street art.

To help clear up some of the confusion, LegalLink, a legal resource for artists organized by Cannonball, hosted a lecture with a question-and-answer segment in Miami, Florida on September 17th. As well as answering audience questions, the presenter pulled representative comments from news websites to illustrate come commonly held misconceptions about copyright in public art. You can watch the entire presentation and download the PDF here.

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